Discovering Our Topic: Responding to Inequality: Ratifying the 19th Amendment | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G4:M4:U1:L1

Discovering Our Topic: Responding to Inequality: Ratifying the 19th Amendment

In this Lesson

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • RL.4.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean).
  • RI.4.1: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
  • RF.4.4: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
  • W.4.8: Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.
  • L.4.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 4 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can infer the topic of this module from quotes. (RI.4.1)
  • I can determine the meaning of unfamiliar words and phrases. (RL.4.4, L.4.4)

Ongoing Assessment

  • I Notice/I Wonder note-catcher (RI.4.1, W.4.8)
  • Unfamiliar words and phrases on sticky notes (RL.4.4, L.4.4)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Infer the Topic: Responding to Inequality: Ratifying the 19th Amendment (15 minutes)

B. Introducing the Performance Task and the Module Guiding Questions (10 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment 

A. Reading in Triads: The Hope Chest, Chapter 1 (30 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Read and reflect on the guiding questions for the module. Talk about them with someone at home. How do the questions make you feel? Why? What do they make you think about? You can sketch or write your reflections.

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • In Work Time A, students participate in the Infer the Topic protocol to familiarize themselves with the module topic, using pictures and quotes from the texts they will be reading throughout the module (RI.4.1). Note that some students may be sensitive to the content of the quotes and images used in the protocol because these materials show segregation. Prepare students for this work using the habits listed on the Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart to guide student conversation and interaction during this protocol.
  • Students continue to build on the foundations of inferring the topic as they are introduced to the performance task and the module guiding questions in Work Time B, which include questions about equality. Be aware that some students may connect with this topic personally and deeply. Monitor students and determine whether there are any issues surfacing that need to be discussed in more detail as a whole group, in smaller groups, independently, or with families. Students' feelings may be personal, and students are not required to share them.
  • In the Closing, students are introduced to the central text for the module, The Hope Chest by Karen Schwabach, and read the first chapter aloud to one another in reading triads (RF.4.4). They identify unfamiliar words and phrases as they read, and these are then addressed whole group (RL.4.4, L.4.4). In this module, the text is not read aloud by the teacher as it has been in previous modules. This is to promote independence in reading. A time for silent reflection is provided after reading the chapter to give students time to process the connections they make. Be aware that these connections may be personal, and students are not required to share them.
  • It is important to be sensitive to students' and families' experiences with regard to issues related with inequality, specifically racial and gender inequality, because these are the issues presented in the text.
  • In this lesson, students focus on working to become ethical people--particularly respect, empathy, and compassion--when participating in the Infer the Topic protocol and reading aloud Chapter 1 of The Hope Chest in groups.

How this lesson builds on previous work:

  • This module builds on the foundation established in EL Education Modules 1-3 for Grade 4.
  • Continue to use Conversation Cues to promote productive and equitable conversation.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • Students may need additional support with reading quotes. Consider pairing students with at least one strong reader in each pair and giving students one quote per pair instead of one quote each.

Assessment guidance:

  • Listen to students reading aloud in reading groups and identify common issues to use as whole group teaching points.

Down the road:

  • In the next lesson, students will reflect on the module guiding questions, continue to read The Hope Chest, and launch research reading.

In Advance

  • Consider if any students may be sensitive to the issues that this topic raises based on cultural background and family history. Consider explaining to families that students will be reading about and discussing inequality, including segregation and women's rights, so that the families can appropriately prepare students.
  • Prepare a new domain-specific Word Wall for Responding to Inequalities: Ratifying the 19th Amendment.
  • Review the Infer the Topic protocol. (Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.)
  • Strategically group students into reading triads, with at least one strong reader in each triad. Students remain in these reading triads throughout Units 1 and 2 to read The Hope Chest.
  • Post: Learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Continue to use the technology tools recommended throughout Modules 1-3 to create anchor charts to share with families; to record students as they participate in discussions and protocols to review with students later and to share with families; and for students to listen to and annotate text, record ideas on note-catchers, and word-process writing.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 4.I.B.6, 4.I.B.7, 4.I.B.8, 4.I.C.10

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs with opportunities to explore and discuss the module topic and guiding questions, which provide important and supportive context for the work students will do in this unit and subsequent units in the module. Additionally, the opportunity for students to determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words is particularly supportive of ELLs.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to read and understand the quote strips during the Infer the Topic protocol because of potentially unfamiliar new language and complex language structures. Encourage students to focus on the pictures, the gist of each quote strip, and language that is familiar. Additionally, ELLs may find it challenging to keep pace with the class when reading Chapter 1 of The Hope Chest during the Closing and Assessment. Tell them that it is okay if they don't understand everything today, because they will be building understanding of the text and topic throughout the entire module (see Levels of support and the Meeting Students' Needs column).

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • After adding unfamiliar vocabulary words to the Academic Word Wall during the Closing, invite students to use each word in a sentence with context. This will support their understanding of each word, as well as provide additional context for students who need heavier support.

For heavier support:

  • Because The Hope Chest is a complex text with a potentially high volume of unfamiliar vocabulary words, consider reading Chapter 1 aloud to students before the lesson. Additionally, consider inviting students to practice reading a section of the chapter in advance that they can then be responsible for when reading in their triads during the Closing.  

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): As in previous modules, students may be unfamiliar with some vocabulary terms introduced in this lesson's learning targets. When introducing each learning target, consider writing synonyms or sketching a visual above each key term to scaffold students' understanding. Continue to invite students to share ways in which they worked toward similar targets from previous modules.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): This lesson offers several opportunities for students to engage in discussion with partners. Continue to support students with expressive language, as needed, by providing sentence frames to help them organize their thoughts.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): In this lesson, students are introduced to the text The Hope Chest. Recall that sustained engagement and effort is essential for student achievement, and some students may need support to remember the goal for the work they are doing with this text. Recall that students who may need additional support with sustained effort and concentration are supported when these reminders are built into the learning environment.

Vocabulary

Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L); Text-Specific Vocabulary (T); Vocabulary Used in Writing (W)

  • infer, quotes, inequality (L)
  • ratifying, opposition party, Bolshevist revolution, armistice, congress, amendment, ratification, suffragist (T)

Materials

  • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Infer the Topic resources (one to display)
  • Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • I Notice/I Wonder note-catchers (one per student)
  • Directions for Infer the Topic (one to display)
  • Performance Task anchor chart (new; teacher-created; see Performance Task Overview)
  • Model press release (one to display; see Unit 3, Lesson 13 supporting materials)
  • Module Guiding Questions anchor chart (one to display; see Module Overview)
  • Domain-Specific Word Wall (see Teaching Notes)
  • Affix List (from Module 1; one per student)
  • The Hope Chest (one per student)
  • Sticky notes (10 per triad)
  • Academic Word Wall (begun in Module 1)
  • Vocabulary logs (from Module 1; one per student)

Assessment

Each unit in the 3-5 Language Arts Curriculum has two standards-based assessments built in, one mid-unit assessment and one end of unit assessment. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize their understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and select a volunteer to read them aloud:

"I can infer the topic of this module from quotes."

"I can determine the meaning of unfamiliar words and phrases."

  • Focus students on the first learning target and remind them that at the beginning of most modules, they have looked at resources to infer the topic.
  • Underline the words infer and quotes. Turn and Talk:

"What does it mean to infer?" (You use what you know and what the text says to figure out something the author doesn't specifically say.)

"What is a quote?" (something that a writer or speaker has written or said)

  • Clarify and provide an example as needed.
    • Clarification: "To make an inference, a reader uses what he or she already knows about a topic and combines it with the text he or she read to figure out something that the author does not explicitly tell the reader. It is a guess based on evidence."
    • Example: If someone is crying, you might infer that he or she is sad.
  • Focus students on the second learning target and the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart.
  • Turn and Talk:

"What are the vocabulary strategies we have been using this year to determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary?" (context, affixes and roots, dictionary)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with motivation: (Working toward Same Learning Target) Invite students to discuss how they previously worked toward each learning target. (MME)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with vocabulary: (Parts of Speech: Noticing) Ask:

"What is the difference between the words infer and inference?" (Infer is a verb, or an action word that means to make an inference. Inference is a noun or a thing. It is the word for a guess that we make based on clues.) (MMR)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Infer the Topic: Responding to Inequality: Ratifying the 19th Amendment (15 minutes)

  • Build up excitement for this module and unit by explaining that today, students will begin learning about a new topic that they will study and write about over the next several weeks.
  • Tell students they will use the Infer the Topic protocol to make inferences about their new topic of study.
  • Focus students on the Infer the Topic resources posted around the room.
  • Focus students on the Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart and tell them that some of them may find the quotes and pictures upsetting because of what these things represent. Remind students to show respect for others' feelings, and empathy and compassion for those who might find them upsetting. Remind students of what these habits of character look and sound like. Students who prefer to do this protocol silently, rather than discussing their thinking with others, may do so.
  • Distribute I Notice/I Wonder note-catchers. Focus students on the question at the top and read it aloud:

"What do you think you will be learning about in this module?"

  • Tell students that the purpose of the note-catcher is to take notes to help them remember their thinking. It isn't something they will hand in for assessment, so they can record in pictures or words. They do not need to write in full sentences.
  • Remind students that they used the Infer the Topic protocol in Modules 2-3, and review as necessary using the Directions for Infer the Topic. (Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.)
  • Guide students through the protocol. Allow them to choose what resources to observe, so those who may not be able to read independently have the option to view a photo.
  • Refocus whole group.
  • Think-Pair-Share:

"Now that you have looked at some resources, what do you think this module might be about?" (Responses will vary, but may include: women wanting to vote, segregation.)

Conversation Cue: "Can you say more about that? I'll give you some time to think and write or sketch." (Responses will vary.)

  • Use a checking for understanding technique (e.g., Red Light, Green Light or Thumb-O-Meter) for students to self-assess against the first learning target.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with strategy development: (Modeling and Thinking Aloud: Inferring the Topic) Invite a student to role-play the Infer the Topic protocol with you. Model and think aloud the protocol for inferring the topic, as well as recording information on the I Notice/I Wonder note-catcher. (Example: "I notice the word women is included in a lot of the quotes and pictures, so I will write 'the word women' in the 'I Notice' column on the note-catcher. I wonder if that means the module topic is going to focus on women, so I will write 'topic about women' in the 'I Wonder' column on my note-catcher. What did you observe?") (MMAE)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with organizing ideas for verbal expression: (Sentence Frames: Lighter Support) To provide lighter support, invite intermediate students to create sentence frames to bolster participation as students share as a group. Invite students who need heavier support to use the frames. (Example: I think the module will be about ________ [women] because ________ [there are a lot of resources that say the word women]. For example, __________[four of the six quotes have the word women in them]). (MMAE)

B. Introducing the Performance Task and the Module Guiding Questions (10 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the Performance Task anchor chart and read the task aloud.
  • Turn and Talk:

"What do you notice?" (We will create a press release about the action that we take.)

"What do you wonder?" (Responses will vary, but may include: What is a press release? What does it mean to take action? What will we be taking action about?)

"Now that you have analyzed the performance task, has your inference of what this module is about changed? How?" (Responses will vary.)

Conversation Cue: "Who can tell us what your classmate said in your own words?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Clarify what a press release is and display and read aloud the model press release.
  • Direct students' attention to the Module Guiding Questions anchor chart and read the questions aloud:
    • "What can we learn from the process of ratifying the 19th Amendment?"
    • "How can stories inspire us to take action to contribute to a better world?"
    • "How and why can we encourage and support others to contribute to a better world?"
  • Focus students on the first question and underline the word ratifying. Focus students on the vocabulary strategies on the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart to determine the meaning of ratifying. Use total participation techniques to select students to share their responses with the whole group (to sign or agree to a treaty or contract to make it official).
  • Add to the Domain-Specific Word Wall with translations in home languages.
  • Tell students they will learn more about the 19th Amendment over the course of the module, but in brief, it was an amendment (a change) to the Constitution, the supreme law of the land, allowing women to vote.
  • Tell students that these are the questions that will guide their thinking and learning throughout the module.
  • Turn and Talk:

"Now that you have analyzed the guiding questions and performance task, has your inference of what this module is about changed?" (Responses will vary.)

Conversation Cue: "How is what _____ said the same as/different from what _____ said? I'll give you time to think and write." (Responses will vary.)

  • Clarify that this module will be about responding to inequality, with the ratification of the 19th Amendment as the case study of responding to inequalities.
  • Invite students to refer to their Affix List. Turn and Talk:

"What does inequality mean? What familiar word do you see in the word inequality? What prefix can you see, and what does it mean? How does that help you understand the meaning of the word?" (Equal means the same. The prefix in- means not. Inequality means not equal.)

  • Tell students that throughout this module they will read about how people respond to inequality.
  • Acknowledge that some students may already know something about this topic. Explain that for homework, they will reflect on the guiding questions and how they feel about the questions based on their own experiences, and that this will be discussed more at the beginning of the next lesson. Note for students that some of them may know nothing about the topic--tell the class it will be fun to dig in together.
  • Use a checking for understanding technique (e.g., Red Light, Green Light or Thumb-O-Meter) for students to self-assess against the second learning target. Select one or two students showing they feel they have met the learning target to provide evidence of why.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with vocabulary: (Relating Words to Their Opposite) Invite students to demonstrate understanding of the word inequality by relating it to its opposite (equality) and using each word in a familiar context. Provide sentence frames. (Example: One example of equality is ___________ because _______. One example of inequality is _______ because ______.) (MMR)
  • For students who may need additional support with sustaining effort: Because students may be overwhelmed by the Performance Task anchor chart, assure them that you will continue to discuss the meaning of the chart in subsequent lessons and units. Consider displaying a model performance task from a former student. (MMR, MME)

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reading in Triads: The Hope Chest, Chapter 1 (30 minutes)

  • Move students into pre-determined reading triads and invite them to label themselves A, B, and C.
  • Distribute The Hope Chest.
  • Invite a student to read the text above the title--"Shouldn't everyone have the right to vote?"--and the title.
  • Think-Triad-Share:

"What does vote mean? If you vote on something, what do you do?" (submit your choice between two or more people or things, and others do the same, and the one with the most votes wins)

"What does it mean to have the right to vote?" (to be allowed to vote for decisions made in the state and country; for example, who will be president)

"From the text above the title, the title, and the front cover, what do you think this book is about?" (Responses will vary, but may include: people wanting to be able to vote.)

Conversation Cue: "Do you agree or disagree with what your classmate said? Why?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Invite students to chorally read the blurb on the back cover of the book in their triads.
  • Turn and Talk:

"In which time period is this book set? How do you know?" (1917-1920, because it mentions 1917 and then three years later)

"What questions do you have after reading this blurb?" (Responses will vary, but may include: What is a hope chest? What is a suff? What is an anti?)

"Whose right to vote is this book about? How do you know?" (women--it says Chloe is fighting for the right of women to vote)

  • Tell students that they are going to read the first chapter in their reading triads. Explain that reading in reading triads means each student takes turns to read a part of the chapter--for example, each person reads a page at a time. Emphasize that students do not need to read the same amount of the chapter--a stronger reader can read more to help out someone who isn't as strong, but it is important that everyone has a chance to read aloud.
  • Distribute sticky notes.
  • Invite students to select one member of the triad to record unfamiliar words with the page number on sticky notes as they read. Emphasize that this means stopping at the end of a page to discuss which words are unfamiliar to everyone in the triad and then recording those words.
  • Post and review the following directions:
    1. Partner A begins reading the chapter.
    2. Stop at end of the page or when it makes sense to stop and discuss words unfamiliar with your triad.
    3. Chosen a partner to record each word on a sticky note.
    4. Partner B reads the next page, and the group repeats steps 2-3.
  • Answer clarifying questions.
  • Remind students of the habits they discussed earlier in the lesson on the Working to Become Ethical People anchor chart.
  • After 15 minutes, or when all triads have finished reading the chapter, refocus whole group.
  • Invite students to spend 2-3 minutes for silent reflection. Students can either sketch, journal, or sit and think silently.
  • Think-Triad-Share:

"What was the gist of this chapter? What is this chapter mostly about?" (Violet finds letters from her sister, Chloe, which her mother has hidden from her. She learns about what Chloe is doing.)

"So what is the Hope Chest? How do you know?" (It is a vehicle. We know this because Chloe describes in her letters how it got two flat tires.)

"What surprised you about what you heard?" (Responses will vary, but may include: I was surprised that Chloe disobeyed her mother and father and ran away.)

Conversation Cue: "Can you say more about that?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Identify words all triads identified as unfamiliar.
  • Refer students to the vocabulary strategies on the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart and select volunteers to help you determine the meaning. Add the words to the Domain-Specific Word Wall and Academic Word Wall with translations in home languages, and invite students to add words to their vocabulary logs. Ensure the following domain-specific words and phrases are discussed:
    • opposition party (group(s) of people opposed to the government)
    • Bolshevist revolution (when a group of people called Bolsheviks overthrew the government in Russia and set up a new government in 1917)
    • armistice (an agreement made by opposing sides in a war to stop fighting)
    • congress (the chief group of lawmakers for a country)
    • amendment (a change in a legal document)
    • ratification (to confirm something officially by vote)
    • suffragist (a person working for the right to vote)
  • Use a checking for understanding technique (e.g., Red Light, Green Light or Thumb-O-Meter) for students to self-assess against the second learning target and the habit of character they chose, and select a student who showed he or she did well to provide an example of what that student's triad did well. Select a student who thought he or she didn't do so well to suggest something his or her triad could do better next time.
  • For ELLs: (Strategic Grouping) Create triads with varying levels of language proficiency. Students with greater language proficiency can serve as models in the group, initiating discussions and providing implicit sentence frames. If possible, consider grouping students who speak the same home language together to help one another interpret and comprehend the conversation in their home languages.
  • For ELLs and students who need additional support with strategy development: (Modeling and Thinking Aloud Steps) Consider modeling and thinking aloud each step as it is recorded on the board. This provides students with a model and minimizes confusion about the activity. Allow time for students to ask questions, and clarify the process as needed. (Example: "First, I will begin reading the chapter." Write this as step 1 on the board and model opening the book and beginning to read. "Next, I will stop at the end of the page and discuss unfamiliar words with my triad." Write this as step 2 on the board, and pick out one or two words to discuss with the class. "What is my step 3?") (MMAE)
  • For ELLs: Mini Language Dive. "During the huge scene / after Chloe bought the Hope Chest, / Chloe had shouted something / about wanting to do something / meaningful with her life." (page 9 of The Hope Chest)
    • Deconstruct: Discuss the sentence and each chunk. Language goals for focus structure:
      • "What kind of thing did Chloe want to do?" Chloe wanted to do something meaningful, or worthwhile, during her lifetime. The information on the previous pages tells us that fighting for the women's right to vote was something Chloe found very meaningful, something she wanted to dedicate her life to. (adjectival phrase)
      • Students can take 30 seconds in pairs to list synonyms for meaningful (Examples: worthwhile, important, significant). Then they can switch pairs and discuss how the things that Chloe found meaningful were different from the things her parents found meaningful for her.
    • Practice: Students can practice using this structure to speak or write about their own lives. Something meaningful I want to do with my life is _______________.
    • Reconstruct:

"What is another way to say this sentence?" (Responses will vary.)

"How does your understanding of this sentence add to your understanding of the big idea that when people take action against inequality, they can cause social change?" (Responses will vary.)

    • Practice: Something meaningful that Chloe wanted to do with her life was __________.

"How can we use this sentence structure to help us understand what this chapter is mostly about?" (Responses will vary.)

  • For students who may need additional support with comprehension: Provide white boards and markers as an option for students to record (in drawing or writing) their ideas as the triads read. This will also help scaffold active listening for key details. (MMR, MMAE)

Homework

HomeworkMeeting Students' Needs

A. Read and reflect on the guiding questions for the module. Talk about them with someone at home. How do the questions make you feel? Why? What do they make you think about? You can sketch or write your reflections.
  • For ELLs: (Oral Response) Read aloud, discuss, and respond to your prompt orally with a partner, a family member, or a student from Grades 3 or 5, or record an audio response.

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